Your Excellency The President of Republic of The Gambia, Honorable Dr. Abubacar Senghore, Minister of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology, Honorable Fatou Lamin Faye, Minister of Basic and Secondary Education, Honorable Omar Sey, Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Distinguished members of the Diplomatic Corps, Acting Vice Chancellor of University of The Gambia, Heads of institutions, Government officials, our invited guests Faculty and Staff of American International University West Africa, The graduating students, Class of 2015, their proud families and friend, Ladies and Gentlemen
All other protocols deemed observed.

Dinesh Shukla

July 14, 2015

I
heartily welcome all of you to witness the 1st graduation
ceremony of American International University West Africa

I
would like to begin by expressing my deepest and sincerest appreciation and
gratitude to His Excellency Sheikh Professor Alhaji Dr. Yahya A.J.J. Jammeh
Babili Mansa, the President of Republic of The Gambia for accepting our humble
invitation to be the Chief and Honored Guest for this event. AIUWA from its
humble beginning in 2011 has indeed been blessed to have His Excellency's
support, guidance, wisdom and directives which has enabled this institution to
reach this point and host this event. Thank you Your Excellency. Thank you so
very much.

As
I reflect back, we started this institution with a faculty that out-numbered
the student population and in this short period of 4.5 years, we have been able
to establish six colleges, three campuses and a vibrant student population. The
AIU Health Science campus is under construction at Kanifing Institutional Area
and is expected to be complete in next 10 months... I feel full of joy and
pride with an immense amount of optimism about the future of our institution,
this beautiful country and global community. All this can be attributed to the
support we have received from all of you present here. Thank you.

But
most importantly, the heart and soul of AIUWA is in this room right now - all
of our students. For me, this is a very special event - the first AIUWA
Commencement. No matter how many more may I officiate in future, I will
remember you - the class of 2015 until the time my age diminishes my memory. I
am truly proud of all of you. I have seen the potential in each one
of you, and through your time at AIUWA, I was privileged to see your growth.
I am confident in your future success because I have seen you demonstrate
appreciation for tolerance, your openness to consider varied view points and
your ability to walk across differences. All essential for success in life.

This
world has many challenges ahead, ranging from political to economic to
health. We live in an age of Ebola, HIV, AIDS, Tuberculosis, Malaria
etc. I believe that with the education and training you have received from
AIUWA, you can be a part of solution to some of these challenges, especially in
health related field. So put your education and training to work. As you
continue to learn and change, remember to recall your mentors, keep up your
spirits and stretch your imagination. Above all, keep in touch and remember
this institution and this country as a place you can always call home.

Graduation
is an emotional time. On one hand you are proud of your accomplishments. On the
other, you are sad to leave your friends and are anxious about your future.
Today is not just a farewell day. Today is a day of nostalgia of receiving you
diploma from Honorable Minister. Today is a day of cherishing the friends you
have made here. Today is a day that has made your parents proud. Today is a day
where you value the sacrifices they have made for you. This day will forever be
reminiscent of this place.